Shadowed Frost
by PicassoPenguin
Summary: Taking place directly after Rise of the Guardians, Jack is sorta being made to adjust to having friends. However, he gets kidnapped. Will Jack escape? When will the Guardians realize what is going on, if at all? A darkness is rising. . . This was my first fanfic ever! Rated T just in case, I'm not sure what is going to ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Hmmph."

Jack sighed as he rolled over. He was uncomfortable in this big four poster bed. Silently he wished for the coziness of a snowbank, but his personal room at the Pole was still being remodeled. North wouldn't let Jack ice anything because this was his best guest room, and he refused to let Jack sleep outside either. He had replied with a "hmmph" of his own to that idea.

"Don't trust you, Jack. Might run off before month is up." North had said with a raised eyebrow and reproachful look in his direction.

Jack had now been an official Guardian for 8 days, and though he liked the attention and belief, after 300 years of being on his own, it was starting to get to him. The Guardians weren't all hard work and deadlines, he thought as he lay on the bed, they were togetherness and hug times. He appreciated all the embraces and pats, as he had barely been touched by any spirit for years. Seriously, though, couldn't a guy walk in the room without getting hit by an avalanche?

Getting up, Jack went over to the one window in his room and looked out. And was greeted by a furry thumb's up and cheeky grin. Phil the yeti seemed to have been assigned to making sure he stayed put for this one-month thing. Jack groaned and leapt back on the bed, grabbing his staff off the chair next to it. He quickly iced the bedsheets. Too bad for North. Then he settled in. How had he gotten into this?

8 days before, as they were leaving his pond, Jack ached. He had been thrown down an ice trench by Pitch and fallen from the sky with only a dumpster to break his fall. Part of being immortal (or maybe half-dead) was that he didn't feel all the pain, but it still hurt. A lot. At the moment though, he didn't care. His brain had finally caught up to him. Jack started crying, for only the second time in his 300 years of immortality.

"Sandy! You're alive!" He collided with the Sandman. "You're alive, little man!" Jack hadn't realized how attached he had gotten to all the Guardians until Sandy "died". The golden spirit smiled up at him, then saw the dark circles under Jack's eyes. He flashed out some symbols, his smile turning into a frown.

Bunny answered. "You've only been out for a couple of days, mate. But a lot's happened."

"Go over details later," added North, "but now, to other Guardians' homes! We need rest. To the Warren!" The last words he roared to a snow globe as Bunny fell to the floor, his motion sickness back. He was only riding in the sleigh because the little kiddies probably shouldn't see any more of his tunnels, so as not to give them any ideas. Besides, they'd think it was weird if the big Pooka didn't leave with the others . . . in the sleigh. North smashed the globe, and into the Warren they flew. Bunny leaped over the side.

"Thanks, mate! No thanks to that bloody sleigh," he added under his breath. "Meeting in a week at the Pole?

"Yes, Bunny," said North, but he was interrupted by Jack, who leapt lithely up on the sleigh's side and shouted, "See you soon, then, Kangaroo!" Everyone laughed, even Bunny, who simply replied, "See you there, Frostbite!" Then he hurried deeper into the Warren before Frost could ice his whiskers.

They dropped Tooth off at her restored palace, where she immediately began gathering her fairies to recollect all the teeth Pitch had stolen. Sandy was left on his slowly re-growing dreamsand island.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" asked Jack. "You just came back from the dead."

Sandy gave a determined nod. He threw up a sand pillow and a few ZZZ's then an arrow pointed at Jack and North.

The two spirits reluctantly left Sandy in the sleigh. North turned to Jack. "I don't know where you want to go, but Pole is always open."

Jack gave him the tired grin that North noted he always hid his feelings behind. "Thanks, North, but the bustle of the Pole isn't what I need right now. I need peace, quiet, and maybe a couple of penguins. I'm going to head for Antarctica."

North reached for a snow globe, but Jack stopped him. "I'm just going to fly. I could use the thinking time." He floated up from the sleigh. North reached up to pat him on the back, but Jack flinched away. "Sorry," he said blushing. "Not quite used to all the physical contact yet."

"It is okay, Jack," said North, retracting his hand. "But will be at the Pole in one week, yes?"

"I'll be there," said Jack, his grin coming back again. "But you might want to be prepared. You did spend 300 years keeping me, Jack Frost, out, after all." And he flew off, with a gust of his friend Wind that almost tipped the sleigh.

North chuckled. "The boy will be good for the Guardians," he thought aloud. "We need this fun."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **I forgot to mention in the first chapter that no matter how much I wish I did, I do NOT own Rise of the Guardians.**

Chapter 2

Jack had gone down to Antarctica for a couple of days, avoiding the . . .thing he and Pitch had made on his last visit. He didn't need to think about that. He'd slept for 24 hours, and hugged a couple penguins. Jack had always been friends with the penguins. They had been some of the few things that could see him and were still happy to be able to do so. He had iced some sea lions for them in the past, and given them sliding paths to the ocean.

After a couple of days in Antarctica, Jack headed back up to the places in the Northern Hemisphere that had snow all year. He'd been slacking on his job while they were fighting Pitch. Had that only taken 3 days? It seemed like years. Jack was feeling more and more himself the longer he was out in the cold. All his bumps and bruises were healing. After the week was up, he headed back to the Pole.

Jack whooshed into the workshop, waving to Phil the yeti, who for once wasn't trying to keep him out. He looked around at all the bustle, searching for the other Guardians. He watched as a yeti finished painting some toy trucks. Jack was a little confused. Why were the trucks all bright purple? Not that there was anything wrong with purple trucks, you just didn't see many. He noticed some cans of paint next to the yeti. Blue and red. Then he heard shouting.

There were North and Bunny. "Blue!" shouted Bunny, whose voice sounded a little hoarse.

''It's Christmas!" North roared back. "I'm in charge here! Paint them red!" The yeti moaned and started painting all over again.

"But last week, you said Easter was more important than Christmas!" Bunny complained jokingly.

North folded his arms "I said just once! You are never going to let me hear end of that, are you?"

Jack swooped down. "Hey, North, Cottontail!"

Bunny groaned. "Come on, mate, why am I the only one with a nickname?"

Jack laughed. "Because I know I can get under your skin! So, what's this meeting for, anyway?

"We always meet every week if we can get away from work," explained North. "The beacon, the Northern Lights, are only for emergency."

Jack jumped smoothly up onto his staff and lithely perched on the top. "What do you, we, talk about?"

"Oh, just how to deal with little frostbite nuisances" Bunny said, straight-faced.

Jack stared at the giant Pooka and succeeded in holding back tears. He had known it was too good to be true. They didn't want him. Of course, they didn't! Who would want him? "Well, I'll just take myself off your hands then," he tried to say nonchalantly. He turned to fly away.

North knew how shy Jack was of touch, but this was necessary. He grabbed Jack's shoulder, ignoring his attempts to pull away.

"If you don't want me, at least let me leave! "Jack finally broke down, sobbing. In the back of his head he thought,

"These Guardians are really softening me! Look at this, crying twice in one week, when I've barely cried at all since becoming Jack Frost!"

Back to the moment. "Don't just act like everything's fine! You guys ignored me, or worse, pushed me away for three hundred years! Kids couldn't see me, and you wouldn't! Now the only reason you guys except me is because some moon guy, who also ignored me till now, told you to! Just let me go! You don't really want me!"

North pulled Jack into a suffocating embrace, letting him heave sobs all over his bright red shirt. While Jack cried, North whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Bunny, "Get Tooth and Sandy. We need to talk"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **So, my schedule is pretty irregular right now, so I have no pattern for posting. Hope you are enjoying it! My PM is disabled (Parents), so if you have any questions, please drop me a review!**

Chapter 3

They all met in the room where the Guardians generally spent time together. Each Guardian had his own chair. North had a big, bulky, red armchair, while Tooth curled up on a sparkly couch with no back, for her wings. Occupying the spot nearest the fire was Bunny, who sat in his woven grass nest next to Sandy's floating yellow, cushiony circle chair. Jack wasn't sure where to sit. North had convinced him to stay for now and at least hear what the others had to say. He started to leap up to perch on his staff, but North shook his head.

"No, no! You are Guardian. You have chair," he said, and Jack looked where he pointed.

A beautiful wooden blue chair sat in the Guardians' circle. It was painted periwinkle blue with carved white snowflakes decorating it, and had crisscrossing beams in the back, with an empty space to snap Jack's staff in so it would be the main back beam. It also appeared that the front legs of the chair were weighted, so that the chair wouldn't fall backwards if Jack decided to perch on the back of his staff like usual.

Jack stared.

Tooth fluttered over. "Oh, Jack, do you really think we made this for someone we didn't like?" ("Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to bribe me," thought Jack.) "We might have had a bad start . . ."

"A really bad for three hundred years start," muttered Bunny, who was sitting in his nest painting eggs.

"But," continued Tooth with a glare in Bunny's direction, "the fact is, now we want you."

"Why should I believe you? To be blunt, this would not be the first time someone used me. And just so you know, the Groundhog never came out to in '69. Probably because his head was still frozen solid." Jack couldn't help grinning a little at the memory. The little porky had never bothered him again, that's for sure.

Bunny paused. "What'd he do? Or did he just get caught in the '68 blizzard?" The final statement came out a bit more scathingly than necessary.

Jack laughed bitterly. "You could say that. But if he did, it would all be his fault, because HE STARTED IT."

Sandy froze, understanding Jack's implication. Unfortunately, no one else did.

"But, Jack, everyone knows that you alone can control snow," Tooth said, trying her best not to sound skeptical.

"True. But anyone can control a lonely, defenseless winter spirit. You should know. You kinda manipulated me into helping you collect the teeth, remember?" Sandy was waving his arms, trying to get his fellow Guardians' attention. And failing.

Tooth flew back a bit, feeling a sudden wave of guilt. She had never thought of it that way.

"Basically, the Groundhog came up to me and was being a real pain by shoving it in my face that I had been alone and ignored for 256 years. Then I said something like, 'At least I'm not on the calendar and still ignored', and then he said, 'Well, I'm in contact with the Guardians. The Easter Bunny visited me today. When's the last time you talked to them when you weren't pushed out on your backside' and that was the last straw. I went after him with my staff. In the process, I set off a whole huge blizzard, the Blizzard of '68. After it was over, I noticed a big egg hunt sign. I lose track of the days all the time, and didn't realize it was Easter. Then I saw you." Jack pointed at Bunny. The Pooka slouched down in his nest. "You started yelling and screaming at me for ruining Easter and losing you believers. I fled to my pond, upset to have made you hate me even more, only to find the Groundhog there. He was laughing and laughing. Apparently, he hated Bunny as the bringer of spring, because he wanted the job and Guardianship. However, he did not want to mess with Easter himself, or he'd be in trouble. He already hated me, and knew that you guys did too, so he goaded me into starting the blizzard. That pig really shouldn't have come back to gloat." Jack smirked appreciatively. "His head was frozen for months."

"I'm sorry, mate. I just assumed that ya were just being a gumby, and that it was all your fault," Bunny said, his ears drooping. He had finally gotten his explanation for the Blizzard of '68, and it had not been at all what he was expecting. Meanwhile, Sandy relaxed. Everyone understood now.

"Why did you say that stuff about a frostbite nuisance?" Jack asked him. If he didn't like what he heard, he was out of here. No need for more heartbreak.

Bunny dropped his paintbrush and raised his paws in defense. Then his shoulders slumped. "I was just joking. I had no idea ya would take it so seriously," he moaned.

"Jack Frost, "said Tooth firmly, "We pushed you away for three hundred years. You probably think we'll get rid of you any second. And I'll admit, at first, I wasn't thrilled at having you join our team ("No, you were smitten," muttered Bunny, but Sandy elbowed him). But now, I trust you. We ARE friends, we ARE a team, and we will not drop you. We like you!" North nodded firmly. "I know that all those wounds from all those years are going to take time to heal, but we are here to help them do just that."

Sandy nodded, and conjured up a broken heart that fixed itself.

North sat down in his armchair, and gestured for the others to do the same, Jack slowly sat down in his own chair, not bothering to snap his staff into it, but clutching the staff instead. It was a comfort thing.

North looked at Jack. "Okay, Jack, you talk now. If we are going to be team, we need to understand."

Jack and the Guardians talked throughout the day into the night. He told them about how he was a bit jumpy with physical contact, and the fact that he was really officially dead. The Guardians were all shocked at that one, as no one but Jack and Manny really knew how he had come to be. All of them had taken it pretty well though, Bunny leaping into the air, Sandy giving him a concerned look, Tooth hugging him, and North patting him on the back. In return, the other Guardians shared more about themselves and explained more about the duties of a Guardian. In the end, North offered all of them rooms at the Pole for the night.

"Oh, thanks, but I like my freedom." Jack said, leaping from his chair. "If this is all we need to talk about, I'll being going." He flew towards the door and straight into a yeti.

"Heeeey, Phil!" Jack said, with a grin to hide a little nervousness. Phil had thrown him out of the Pole multiple times . . . literally. "I was just leaving."

Phil looked questioningly at North.

"Thank you, Phil; he is not leaving," said North, nodding to the other Guardians. "One more item of business, Jack. We all thought best way to test ideas is all live at Pole. Just for month."

Jack was startled. "What?" he asked.

"Ya heard him, Jackie," said the Easter Bunny, smirking slightly. "Easter's over for the year, mate. I don't need to be at the Warren. Though it'd be bloody warmer there. See what I'm sacrificing for ya?"

"I left Baby Tooth in charge," said a happy Tooth. "I haven't had a vacation in two hundred years!"

Sandy put up a couple of sand signs that clearly said he could do his work fine from here.

North belly laughed. "If my fellow Guardians can postpone work, so can I! Leave Phil in charge."The yeti grunted proudly. "Now off to bed for everyone." He gently pushed a stunned Jack towards the door. "I am have rooms for all of you."

Jack broke out of his stupor. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." He backed away from North. "I'm not staying here! No offense, but I'm still getting used to. . .all this! I can't! I need space, freedom!" He flew to the window and found two elves locking it. He spun to the door and bounced back off the big, furry yeti standing there. "Oh, come on, Phil!" The yeti grinned at him and wagged a finger.

North turned to his right-hand man (or yeti). "Make sure he gets to room and stays there. We will all be here for month. And no icing!"

Phil gently but firmly steered a protesting Jack toward his room, or prison, for a month long stay at the Pole.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jack rolled over on top of the cool sheets, back in the present. He still couldn't believe that he was stuck at the Pole. For a whole MONTH!

Try as he might, the teen still felt a little uneasy about the Guardians. Maybe they wouldn't drop him, but what if they constrained him? He couldn't very well be the Guardian of Fun if he was stuck up here every day. Also, even if he had blown off his job as snowballs and fun times, he actually had a lot of work to do. The leaves changed colors partly because of his frost, and the snow needed him. Global warming? Not a thing. He'd simply been too busy tracking . . . something that was ruining his season to ice over some of the glaciers. All sorts of disastrous things could happen in this one-month span. Luckily, his season was mostly over. Still, he needed to get out.

Jack slipped out of bed once more. He didn't want to hurt Phil; he liked the yeti. He would simply have to find a way to distract the hairy guy. The winter spirit slipped over to the window, thinking up excuses." Hey Phil! I think I smell smoke. . . Are you sure North told you to stick around? . . . Come on, I'll get you hot cocoa . . ." Or maybe he could simply cause a bit of chaos with his staff?

However, when he looked out the window, he was shocked to find Phil flat on the ground, with a bloody lump on his head. Jack immediately jumped into a defensive position, pointing his staff at the window, which was still locked, and into the growing darkness. What could have done this? Wait. He could see a shadow. That thing. Jack had chased it through an entire season because it was frightening children, so they couldn't come out and play. He'd never caught it, but then it just disappeared. How had it even gotten close to the Pole? The magical barrier around North's home should have kept it, him, out.

There were barriers to keep humans out, and also, only those on the Nice list were allowed to reach the Pole. North had given Jack an honorary place on the Nice list so he could get inside the Pole without needing permission from the Guardian. And the shadow standing before Jack was most definitely on the Naughty list. In fact, he was probably second on the list only to Jack. Jack, however, was all snow balls in the face, icing walks so people slipped, that sort of thing. The only reason he was ahead of this guy was because he played his jokes way more often then it performed its heartless deeds.

But back to the point. How did it get here? And Phil! Jack cursed himself. How badly was the yeti hurt? He quickly opened the window with a blast of ice to break the lock, and zipped outside to Phil, keeping his staff pointed at the shadow before him. At least the yeti was definitely still breathing.

Then, bam! Jack found himself in a sack. Honestly! Why did this keep happening? Then he noticed he was submerged. The sack had been thrown into water! He began to panic, flailing his arms and legs, forgetting his staff. Why did it have to be water again? In the back of his head, he wondered where the thing had even gotten water at the Pole, where everything was frozen. Jack was running out of air. He was going to drown again. Could he even die as an immortal . . . Then everything went black.

As soon as the shadow noticed that the bag was no longer struggling, he pulled it out of the water. Opening it up, he relieved Jack of his staff.

A couple of minutes later, a boy with ruffled white hair in a blue hoodie and brown leggings jumped into the bedroom through the open window. He had pale bare feet, and carried a wooden staff that looked just like Jack's. Anyone who looked at him would have sworn he was Jack Frost. However, if you were there to see the teen slip into bed, you might have noticed that the irises of his eyes were not lively icy blue, but pure black. Nor did they hold the sparkle that the Guardian of Fun's had. Whoever this was, it was not Jack Frost.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Sorry this took me so long to update! I have no excuse. Life was just busy. I want to thank all those who followed, favorited, and reveiwed. They make me so happy! A big thanks to Kito, my favorite fanfiction writer, who was willing to read and give advice! Please mention any mistakes you find! Thanks!**

North got up early, excited to spend the day with the other Guardians. Hopefully, even Jack had come around overnight! He hurried to Jack's room, knocking on the door, unable to wait. Usually,Jack was an early riser anyway.

"Jack? Can I come in?"

" Sure. " North raised an eyebrow. That was un-Jack-like behaviour. Normally, Jack was all about his privacy. Oh, well. Why was he complaining? If Jack was opening up, that was a good thing, right?

North opened the door and looked around at the destruction. The whole bed was covered in snow. The window had been iced was broken open, so that a freezing breeze came through the room. Jack was sitting on the bed, looking pleased with himself.

"Jack!" shouted North. "I thought I told you not to ice this room!"

The winter spirit gave a sly grin. "Oh. I wasn't aware of that."

North was taken aback by the pure malice in Jack's gaze. Jack was mischievous , yes, but he was far from evil. And that was all North could see in his eyes. Something seemed off about Jack's eyes . . . North shook his head, clearing it. It was probably nothing. After all, he hadn't known Jack for long.

North sighed. Oh, well. He turned to his ever present yeti, Phil. "Tell elves to get in here and clean . . ." The ever present yeti wasn't there. North turned to Jack. "Have you seen Phil?"

The spirit pointed out the window while grinning wickedly.

North went over and looked out the window. Phil was still lying there, out cold.

This was serious. He turned and ran from the room, getting yeties and Phil's mate, Greta, to carry Phil to the Pole's infirmary. Once North was told that Phil would be fine, he stormed off. He needed to talk to the other Guardians.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

In the emergency Guardians meeting, minus Jack, North repeated what had happened.

"So, " said Tooth, hovering in her anxiety, "You think that Jack frosted open the window, have Phil a hit to the head, and flew off? I thought we were really getting through to him!"

Bunny shook his head, confused. "But why would the little frostbite come back, then?"

Sandy made a couple of signs, but was ignored as North Aa. "I do not know, Bunny." He continued, " Also, why would he hurt Phil? He really liked that yeti. At least, Jack never hurt Phil in all attempts to break into Pole. And that shows lot of patience, at least. Hate to suggest, after finally getting through to Jack, but do we need to expel Guardianship? "

Sandy tried again, waving his arms throughout. Tooth dive right through his sand on accident in her anxiety. Sandy blew spa and out his ears. Finally, as the others continues to discuss and argue about Jack's possible expulsion, Sandy grabbed an elf, his favorite way of getting attention, and started shaking it, making its bell go off.

Everyone stopped, embarrassed. The other Guardians seemed to have developed a bad habit of not listening (or reading) to Sandy.

"What is it, mate?" asked Bunny, his ears down, looking forlorn. No matter how much Jack got on his nerves, he liked the little snowflake, and the idea of kicking him out hurt.

-Sand Easter egg-

"Easter?" asked Tooth. " What about Easter? "

\- Sand arrow pointing back, sand Easter egg-

"Past Easters? What does ma holiday have to do with this bloody nonsense. . .Oh." Bunny turned to the others as Sandy continued his sand lecture.

-Sad, confused, sand Jack, angry sand Guardians-

"He's talking about the Easter of '68 and this last Easter, where we jumped to the wrong conclusions. During that last Easter we assumed a lot that didn't happen." Jack had told them everything during their talk.

Tooth took a deep breath. " Maybe that's all we're doing now. "

"North?" asked Bunny. "Did ya even talk to the frostbite?"

Shamefaced, North shook his head. He had been so worried about Phil and angry at Jack that he hadn't even thought about it.

"Well," said Tooth, " I think it's obvious what to do next. "

A Dingle nodded his head, then grinned and held up cookies.

Sandy pushed him out of the way as they hurried out of the room, heading in the direction of Jack's bedroom.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

North knocked on Jack's door, surrounded by the other Guardians.

"Jack?" called Tooth. "We need to talk."

There was no answer.

"Come on out, Frostbite!" shouted an irritated Bunny.

Still no answer.

Sandy opened the door and peeled in. The room was empty.

"Oh, well. Maybe is outside, never liked being cooped up, and I forgot to shut window." North turned to the other Guardians. " Walk with me? Am going to go work in workshop. "

The others all nodded, so they set off.

They reached the entrance to the main floor, but North stopped. "Something is wrong," he worried.

Up went an exclamation over Sandy's head. Then he pointed at his ear.

Bunny caught on. "You're right, mate. Too quite." He leaned his sensitive ears toward the door. " no noise at all except . . . laughter? "

North sighed. "Probably Jack. Maybe he has frozen all Dingles and done us favor." The big Guardian pushed his way into his workshop. And went stock still.

North was not the only one frozen. The entire room was coated in ice, from the elves to the toys to the yeties.

Up in the rafters sat Jack, laughing his head off. He was positively howling. Then he noticed the Guardians, abruptly stopped, and flew out an open window as fast as he could.

North was turning as red as his coat. Tooth wrung her hands nervously. Even usually calm Sandy had sand blowing out of his ears. So you can imagine what Bunny did. He exploded.

"That little. . ." And he let out a string of words that were definitely not appropriate for a Guardian of Childhood.

"


	6. Chapter 6

**A\N Sorry I kept you waiting so long! Please don't kill me (Shields self with book)! Also, I meant to thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews. They really make my day! Anyway, Merry Christmas! (To those who celebrate it) Hope this is an okay present!**

"Come on, Jack, please don't be dead!"

Jack woke to find himself still in the sack, minus the water, with Jamie Bennet shaking him, and shining a flashlight in his face.

"Ugghh," Jack moaned, rubbing his eyes, then looking at Jamie again. " You're still here! Why are you here? Wait, " he continued with a sharp intake of breath, "am I dead?" He reached for his staff, but it wasn't there.

" You're not dead! " Jamie collapsed on top of Jack, trying to give him a hug in close quarters. "Oops! Also, I'd guess someone took your staff. It wasn't here when I landed myself in this sack thing." Jack noticed Jamie was being remarkably calm for a ten year old.

The sack seemed to be magically expanded so that Jack and Jamie were not always on top of each other, and they were not jostled as the sack was dragged where ever it was going. Jack moved to try to get out from under Jamie, and heard a crunch. Jack looked down and shuddered. The sack was halfway filled with bones. Small bones. Kids' bones.

"What happened to you!" All of the sudden, Jack realized that Jamie had a black eye.

Jamie, however, ignored the question, and asked one of his own. "Who took us?" he questioned Jack, looking a little scared for the first time.

Jack looked grim. "I'm pretty sure it's Krampus, this sort of evil Santa. He was the one who was scaring kids a couple winters back. But he disappeared! I thought the Guardians took care of him!"

Jamie vaguely recognized the name. "Isn't that the guy who beats kids who misbehave? I read about him in the Forgotten Legends part of my book."

"Exactly," Jack explained. "That's partly what has him so mad. He's jealous. According to North, they used to be best friends. They journeyed the world together on Christmas; Krampus helped keep the balance. Then North got his Guardianship, and with it all the attention. People began to forget about him. The kids had never exactly loved him anyway. Krampus became jealous. He grew to hate North." Jack gestured at the bones in the bottom of the sack. "He even started to eat children instead of beating them, just for attention. I've only met him once, and he wasn't exactly friendly. But we can worry about him later. How did you get into this?"

Jamie sighed. "It's only been a week since the Boogeyman 's defeat," he said. " As long as it isn't Pitch, though, I'm not scared. I'm with you, Jack. "

Jack felt guilty. If things got serious, he wasn't sure he could protect Jamie very well without his staff.

Jamie continued, "Anyway, I was outside, just to bring in the garbage cans. All of the sudden, I was thrown in a sack. I saw you, out cold. The sack filled with water. I went limp and held my breath. It's the best way to conserve oxygen," he explained to Jack, who was giving him a surprised look. " I read about it in my book when it was talking about the Loch Nes Monster and how to find it. Suddenly the water just drained away. Then, I started fighting. Something outside the sack hit me, so that's where I got my black eye. After that, I quit trying to get way and checked on you, but you didn't have a pulse. I panicked. I was shaking you, trying to get a reaction, praying you weren't dead. But then I saw you breathing. I wasn't sure what to think. I pulled out my Swiss Army Knife and was shining the flashlight part in your face, and shaking you. Then you woke up. "

Jack nodded, then explained how he had ended up in the sack as well. After finishing, he shook his head. "I understand why Krampus would take me. I'm a Guardian. A new, "inexperienced" one, too. I would make a useful hostage. But why you? "

He shook himself. "Stupid water," Jack mumbled. He and Jamie were still soaking. He couldn't think, not damp like this. Jack looked at Jamie. "Now, don't panic." Then he froze over his clothes, hair and skin. He looked like an ice statue.

Jamie panicked. "Jack!" He started beating at the ice, but it began to peel away of its own accord. Before long, Jack was curled there, surronded by ice shavings, but looking perfectly normal.

Jack sighed contentedly. "Much better." He was no longer damp. He turned to Jamie, grinning. "I told you not to worry! I can freeze myself over without being hurt. Too bad I can't do that for you, you'd probably be a lot more comfortable. Also, I don't have a heartbeat because, officially, I'm dead."

Jamie's mouth fell open.

"Yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that when I introduced myself. I don't tell a lot of people."

But before Jamie could ask a billion questions, the sack was upended, and both Jack and a wet Jamie, along with the pile of bones, fell to the ground with a thud. A thin, wiry man stood before them, glowering. It took all their effort not to stare. From his waste down, he had two furry, gray goat legs. Also noticeable was the fact the he had antlers springing from his head. Jack looked around and cursed. They were in Pitch's layer. And some things were coming towards them from the shadows. Except these weren't somethings, they were someones . . .

"Welcome," said voices coming from the dark, " to the Layer of the Forgotten" .

 **A/N Hope you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!**


	7. Chapter 7

It had been 3 minutes since Jack flew out on the Guardians, and Bunny was still mouthing off. Honestly, it was surprising that none of the Guardians had any hearing problems with Bunny's frequent, LOUD, anger issues. Or burnt ears for that matter. Tooth was busy covering all the ears of her fairies that she could reach

Finally, it appeared Bunny had run out of profanities. His face slowly went from purple, to red, to pink, before returning to his normal fuzzy gray.

Sandy shook his head seemingly at Bunny, pointing at his ears, then conjuring sand flames.

"Alright, mate, alright, " Bunny conceded. "Sorry about all that bloody, well, that pretty much sums it up. But Jackie really crossed a line, here."

North nodded, walking deeper into the room to tap an ice-yeti. It promptly toppled over. He turned to a single elf that had been with the Guardians during the freezing.

"Turn heat up, Dingle. little thingie on thermostat."

"Dingle" grinned widely, then shook his head, confused. He pointed down, then looked at North for approval.

"No, Dingle. UP!" North pointed towards the ceiling.

The elf pointed up, grinned again, and ran off, hopefully in the direction of the thermostat.

North sighed. "All these little pointy heads underfoot are going to be death of me!"

Tooth looked troubled. "Except this time, they aren't underfoot," she pointed out.

Bunny nodded to the window from which Jack had escaped. "Frostie, there, is gonna be the death of us, ya gumbies. And it looks like diplomacy went right out the window with him.

Tooth disagreed. "We don't really have any option but to find Jack and question him. Best case scenario, find out this was all a misunderstanding somehow. Worst, we order him to resign his Guardianship. Sweet Tooth, I really hope not."

" But how will we find the little gumbie? "

North raised his voice even louder in excitement. "This is chance to check magic tracking!"

" Oh, no, " muttered Bunny. If there was one other thing he hated about the Pole, besides the sleigh, snow globes, and cold, it was North's "attempts" at magic. They had this strange habit of turning his ears purple.

"Whenever someone new takes oath, the book lays tracking spell at them." North pulled the big Guardianship book from off a shelf in his workshop. He then opened the book to a new page that none of the Guardians had ever seen. A page dedicated to Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun. It told almost everything factual relating to the spirit, including his eye color (ice blue), hair color (snow white), and even his height and weight (he was abnormally skinny and small). Even his location.

But to all the Guardians' disappointment, it didn't give an exact location. It simply said, "Near Burgess".

"How could we be so stupid? Of course Jack would head for Burgess. It's the closest thing he has to home." Tooth fluttered up. "Let's go!"

Sandy flagged everyone down. He put up a sand Jack, then did the cuckoo sign, rather unhappily.

"You're right, mate," Bunny agreed slowly. "The Frostbite has been acting strange . . ."

" Hate to suggest, but should we bring weapons?" North asked. " I am leaving Phil in charge; even in hospital bed is better than Dingle, I will leave him to protect from enemies. " The rest went unsaid. And Jack. . . lf he was mentally stable. . .

The more Tooth thought about it, the more it made sense. The poor teen had been in his own for 300 years. No one could really blame him if he HAD gone crazy.

"Let's bring weapons," she agreed sadly. " And let's hurry. "


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I'm so sorry I've been gone so long! Thanks for being patient with me and my hiatus! I'm working on school again, so updates will kind of random. Just a warning, there is some violence at the end of this chapter.**

 **Yellowmika98: You'll have to wait and find out!**

 **Guest: Thanks so much for the solid advice! I'll work on that. Those were good points you made.**

 **sparklehannah: Yeah, nothing is that easy, sadly! I'm glad you are enjoying this story!**

 **Kitoh: I have something I need to tell you. I'm really sorry, but I mislead you. Or really lied to you. You have reviews from a person named Goldilocks as well as me. Goldilocks IS me. I know there is not a good explanation. All I can say is that I enjoyed talking to you so much, I didn't want to do it with only one person. I'm really sorry. I don't know how you want to respond. I know I did something wrong; as a Christian especially. I'm really, REALLY sorry.**

Chapter 8

Jack stared. The shadows were no longer shadows. Standing in front of him were four new figures, all of which he knew too well. A fairy with gossamer purple wings, a man with a pumpkin for a head, that blasted groundhog. And . . .

"Pitch Black," Jack spat out.

Pitch slinked toward Jack. The only thing that ruined the menacing picture was the fact that half way towards him, the Nightmare King burst into nothing.

Jack could hear Pitch's voice cursing as he slowly reformed, this time with a look of pain on his face.

"Jack Frost," he answered calmly. Then Pitch turned abruptly to the man with the horns. Krampus, Jack assumed.

"I thought I told you to tie them up!" he snarled. Then he quickly lashed out with a nightmare whip, only for it to disintegrate on him. Pitch let out a scream of frustration that promptly burst him to pieces once more.

Them? Then Jack felt the hands clutching his waist. He had forgotten to worry about how Jamie was taking this. It appeared that only adrenaline had been keeping the Last Light going until now. The sight of the cavern had frozen it out of him. Honestly, Jack couldn't blame him. The cavern scared HIM half to death, and he was immortal! Then Jack realized it was something more.

"Jack, are you there? I can't see! I CAN'T SEE!" Jamie cried, losing what nerve he had left. Now it was Jack's turn to freeze. Jamie had his sight a minute ago! Then it came to him. Jack was immortal. Jamie, on the other hand, was not. It seemed like Pitch's power had grown to the point that he could incapacitate humans in their fear. But they had only left Pitch for a week! And according to the other Guardians, it had taken centuries for Pitch to rise since they had defeated him before! And then there was the fact that Pitch's whip had disintegrated . . . Jack quickly looked up at the reformed Pitch, who seemed to be clutching at something in his robes. That something seemed to be letting off light. Curious.

Jack did not want to put Jamie any more under Pitch's clutches, which meant not adding to his fear. So he lied. Not a good move, but the best option at this point. He would apologize to Jamie later. If there was a later.

"Stick with me, Jamie! Only spirits can see this cavern! Don't panic!"

Jack flipped to face Pitch."Do whatever you want to me, but don't touch Jamie! Why did you even bring him here?" Try to get something out of him. Anything to protect Jamie. Jamie, who seemed to be becoming more and more deadweight on Jack's back . . .

Pitch laughed outright at the look of panic on Jack's face, "Because he, like you, was instrumental in my defeat. The two wild cards." He lashed out another sand whip, and this time, it struck hard, wrapping around Jack and Jamie.

"Besides, as I learned in this last . . . Incident, your friends provide the best way to influence you. In fact, they are the only way to influence you! Strange, considering how alone you were for so many years, you would think that you would have learned by now. But I am sidetracking myself. You wouldn't care if Krampus here hurt you," Pitch gestured to Krampus, who stood at his right hand and had produced a bunch of chains that he was menacingly running through his hands. The chains were covered in a brown substance that Jack realized was dried blood. Pitch continued. "but the 'Last Light' as you call him, " Pitch broke off grinning as Jack flinched. "Well that is quite a different story."

The chubby Groundhog raised his head, his piggy eyes angry. "You promised me that you would let me punish that stupid winter spirit myself!" Jack felt a shudder through the cavern, and he suddenly felt a feeling of utter despair flooding over him. Then the feeling receded. Jack turned his head curiously. What was that?

Pitch flared, "Now, if we're going to work together . . . "

Pitch was busy rebuking the Groundhog, so Jack turned to check on Jamie. As Jack looked behind himself, however, the boy's arms fell off Jack's back. If it hadn't been for the Nightmare sand whip wrapped around them both, Jamie would have fallen off Jack's back! The Last Light's head lolled to the side, his eyes empty. Jack was greatly relieved still feel Jamie's warm breath on the back of his neck.

Jack tried to contain his panic. If he was going to get Jamie out of here in one piece, he would have to focus. He turned and scanned the room. It looked quite similar to when the immortal teen had last visited, but now, instead of being just in shades of grey, there were slashes of color throughout. A staircase's banister was a poisonous green, and there were several red doorknobs. Less prominent but still there were orange and purple, which peeked out from under some pedestals. All these colors along with black were incorporated into a new stand for Pitch's globe, which was almost completly dark, with only a sprinkle of lights. The cage which had held Tooth's fairies was still there, and seeing it filled Jack with anger. However, it was now completely covered with some sort of metal, and enlargened. The door was shut, and Jack thought for a second he saw it shake. But his attention shifted back to Pitch when the Boogeyman stepped towards him.

"Now, Jack, I think it's time you met MY team."

"Oh, I know them already," Jack informed Pitch, glaring at the group.

There was Pitch. No surprises there. Also the Groundhog and Krampus. But the other two shouldn't be here!

Jack O'Lantern and Plumaria the Suger Plum Fairy made up the rest of the group.

Jack hoped it was some kind of misunderstanding, but doubted it with in Halloween spirit's case. With his long lanky body and bright orange pumpkin head, Jack O'Lantern had been one of the few spirits who had not shunned Frost, but he was also often dark and violent. He was bright and friendly half the time, but would turn around and stab you in the back the fact that O'Lantern was here didn't surprise Jack, but was disappointing and also nerve-wracking.

Plumaria had always treated Jack kindly, even though he hadn't seen her much. Though she was not a Sister of Flight, Plumaria had always reminded Jack of one, with her gossamer wings, purple skin and emerald eyes. She would often share some of her magical sugar plums with Jack to get him through his worst days. She was one of the sweetest people Jack had ever met, and he couldn't imagine her teaming up with Pitch, let alone hurting a child. If Jack stared at her, he could swear he saw the tracks of tears on her face.

Jack pulled Jamie in front of him as best as he could with the Nightmare sand rope wrapped tightly around them. He hugged the boy close, shielding him with his own body as best as he could. Then he asked a question he'd been dying to for a while.

"You're supposed to be dead! How is it possible you regenerated so fast, or organized this? "

Pitch waved his finger at Jack in a playful manner. "Now, now, I can't give away my secrets, but let's just say these four were quite busy while we were fighting it out on Easter. On a scavenger hunt, of sorts. We've formed an Anti-Guardians. Of course, I would prefer to rule the world myself, but I'm not nearly str. . . I should say, I, we, are more powerful together."

Jack noticed that Krampus glared at Pitch, and the Groundhog gained a greedy look in his eye after that portion of the speech.

"My Nightmares severely weakened me, but one stayed loyal and informed these four of my whereabouts. They found my sand, and after some . . .work, I was reformed, though admittedly still weak. Now, as I gain believers through fear, I will regenerate even faster!"

Jack glared at him. "And how do you plan on getting more believers? At this point, no one but Jamie believes you exists! I mean, I would sympathize, but you kind of deserve it. "

Pitch laughed. Jack was getting really tired of him doing that. "By ridding the world of those meddlesome Guardians, and replacing them with my own!" He pointed to Krampus, then the Groundhog, and finally Plumaria and Jack O'Lantern. "Guardian of Discipline, Guardian of Despair, Guardian of Amnesia and Guardian of Terror. And, of course, myself." Black pointed to himself. "Guardian of Nightmares."

" Krampus, who used to have free reign to punish anyone he liked, has been restrained for years. No longer. He will be free to beat any child he likes. Christmas will no longer be a time of WONDER, " Pitch said, saying the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"The Groundhog comes up every spring, and he always sees his shadow! There are always six more weeks of winter! And winter, as you should know, Jack, is dangerous and cruel. Children will always have dashed hopes. Not just in the winter. Always. "

" Jack O'Lantern, who revels in the terror and dangerous side of Halloween will make sure these are the only things that prevail. "

"And Miss Plumaria shall lull all the adults with "dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads", so they will never realize what is going on! Have you truly never wondered why no child can ever manage to stay awake long enough to see North deliver his toys? Or why parents never believe that Santa Claus is real when there is so much evidence? Who fills the stockings, after all? It is Plum's sugar plums that change memories and put people into deep sleeps."

No wonder those plums had always helped Jack forget his problems!

"Through all this, my power will only grow as children become more susceptible to my nightmares!"

"Altogether, we form the Unknown Guardians. They all answered my call because they have been ignored long enough. Maybe if you hadn't joined those namby-pamby Guardians, I'd have invited you too!"

Jack was honestly terrified inside. He had seen a lot in his 300 years as a spirit, but never had he seen anything like this. The bad guys. . . Banding together? Even worse, it seemed like those who usually remained neutral were taking sides. But this comment struck a nerve.

"I never would have joined you, Pitch!" he snapped. "The Guardians will stop you!"

 _'Though it may be too late for Jamie and me by then.'_ Jack admitted to himself.

"But, Jack!" The Groundhog had finally burst. " Don't you know? We've already captured your beloved Guardians! " He gestured to the cage which Jack had already seen. It shook again. Jack strained his ears, and his heart promptly flew up into his throat. He could hear Bunny's cursing.

The winter spirit fell to his knees, staring in shock at the floor. What would he do now?

Krampus took advantage of this moment to stride forward, with his chains dragging on the floor, grab Jamie, and harshly pull him from Jack and the Nightmare sand. Jack thought he heard something snap, and Jamie moaned, still unconscious. Jack doubted he would have that pleasure much longer.

"Enough talk. Start acting." said the wiry man in gravely tone.

Pitch nodded. "Very well, Krampus. You may start us off. "

"No!" cried Jack. "Leave him alone! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" But he was ignored.

Krampus pulled a leather cord out of one of his pockets and with it lashed Jamie to a grey carved post that stood to the side, and Jack had not noticed before. The Last Light's back faced outward.

Then Krampus stood back, and let fly with his chains at Jamie's back. The boy awoke with a scream.

Jack echoed the scream, and the noises intermingled with each other, echoing into the depths of Pitch's fortress.


	9. Chapter 9

The Guardians were definitely NOT locked in a cage in Pitch's , sorry _,_ the _Unknown Guardians'_ fortress. They were currently arguing over how to get to Burgess.

"North, we're using mah tunnels to get to Burgess. It'll be the fastest way," said the Pooka, glaring at North, daring the big man to argue.

North didn't. He simply nodded.

An exclamation appeared over Sandy's head. He continued to sign:

-Sand Cloud-

-Mini Guardians-

-Mini Guardians on Sand Cloud-

-Eye-

-Mini Jack-

"Oh, yes, Sandy." Tooth nodded. "Once we're in Burgess, we'll ride with you. It should be much easier to spot Jack from the air, and the sand cloud is a little. . . steadier than the sleigh." She glanced quickly at North and Bunny.

Bunny and North both glanced at each other. North was tempted to say something, after all, he was getting the short end of the stick here, but he kept his mouth shut. If Jack was physically or mentally hurt, or wreaking havoc on who knew what, North would not be the one to hold back finding him.

Tooth had her own idea on how to find Jack. "My fairies go all over the world picking up teeth. Maybe I should tell them to keep an eye out for him, especially in case we're wrong about Jack going to Burgess. I can speak to them telepathically, you know, so we wouldn't have to visit Punjam Hy Loo. "

Sandy smiled and clapped his hands. North slapped Tooth's back.

"Brilliant plan, Toothie!"

Even though they'd just been through three days of working closely together, the Guardians had missed being around each other. Admittedly, these were far from ideal conditions for spending quality time together, but it would have to do.

"Now, for armin' ourselves," said Bunny.

As mentioned previously, North was willing to go along with Bunny in order to save, or save people from, Jack. However, this didn't keep North from uttering a naughty word as Bunny thumped his foot, dropping the four Guardians into a tunnel.

In only a few seconds, they reached the end of the tunnel, landing in North's personal office/workshop. In this short amount of time, North had already turned green. The big man got up slowly, grumbling about blasted crocuses, and dusted himself off.

He walked over to an ornately carved wooden cabinet and pulled at the door. North's fellow guardians stared at their friend as they watched him yank and pull at the fragile cabinet door's handle. It didn't budge.

"Oh. Silly me." North shook his head at his stupidity. "I lock it."

He pulled a key from his beard. This got him more stares. "What? That is safest place I know!"

North quickly unlocked the doors of the cabinet. Inside, there was a carved wooden stand on which sat North's two sabers, and a sheath that lay on a shelf above.

North pulled the latter off the shelf, and buckled it on. He then grabbed the swords with a shake of his head. The big Cossack stared at them for several seconds.

"Too much fighting," he sighed. " I only put swords away week ago. "

Tooth patted his shoulder sympathetically. "North, we need to hurry."

North sighed again, and sheathed the swords, then shut and locked the cabinet. He pulled the key from the lock and stuck it in his beard once more. "Okay, where next?"

Tooth's wings were the only weapons she used, and Sandy had his sand whips, so the final stop before Burgess was the Warren. Bunny's tunnels took them straight to his secret armoury.

Well, almost straight there. The Guardians had never actually seen Bunny's famed armoury, but instead of it taking them there, it led them to a. . . Flat dirt wall?

"Security measure," Bunny explained. Then he began pressing his paws to the wall in a complex pattern. Flowers sprouted wherever his furry digits touched the dirt. Soon the wall was completely covered in blooms, and the dirt crumbled. As the Guardians walked in, they all gasped.

The room was FILLED with weapons. Boomerangs, egg bombs, tarnished swords, all neatly arranged. More modern weapons were present as well, like guns and flamethrowers, but they all had a spring theme. For example, the guns all fired. . .some kind of poisonous flower? Several bandolleers hung from pegs on one end of the room. Bunny walked over to them, trading his decorative sash for a leather bandoleer, and he went around beginning to fill it, muttering under his breath about being caught unaware.

"Idiot!" he berated himself. "So what if ya weren't expecting combat? Combat don't arrange itself around a schedule for ya convenience, ya gumbie! You'd think a Pooka'd learn."

Meanwhile, North stepped hesitantly forward. "Bunny? Is. . .Is all this nessacary?

Bunny looked up from where he was running his fingers over the swords.

"Look mate. I'll be the first to admit that l've probably got the least trust of us all in Jackie, especially after the workshop. But what we saw there isn't anythin like the Frostbite we came ta know two weeks ago. Why would that gumbie risk his life for us and then run off? Something's up, and its more than Jackie."

He pulled at his ears. "Ma ears are all bushy. Instinct for trouble. And I'm not gonna be caught off guard again. Not eva again. Last time that happened. . ."

North, Tooth and Sandy exchanged looks. They all knew Bunny blamed himself for his family's deaths.

" Ah refuse to fail to save those Ah care about one more time. And if that means going in guns blazin, that's what I'm gonna do. Wether we're savin the world from Frostbite or Frostbite from himself. Because what if it's on me? What if it's the way I pushed his buttons so long that broke him? "

The Guardians were staring. Were the Pooka's eyes. . .watering?

Tooth flew over and hugged him. "Oh, I knew you cared about Jack! You've come so far, Aster. We'll find him. You'll see."

Bunny let out a shuddering sigh. "Look at me, gettin all sentimental over the drongo who ruined ya workshop, North." He patted Tooth's shoulders as she moved away from him. "Thanks, Sheila."

The Pooka looked over his arsenal. He finally grabbed a few chocolate eggs "for sustenance" , and shoved them into his bandolier.

"Okay, I'm ready ta head out."

However, Tooth was staring transfixed at the two old swords that were still attached to the wall. "Aster. . .where did you get those?"

Bunny glanced back at the swords. "Oh. Those? Ah was out on a nature exploration in. . .India, I think? Jungle everywhere. Anyway, Ah was enjoyin myself until ah stepped on somethin sharp. That somethin sharp turned out ta be that sword. Ah dug around some, and found the other one too. Why'd ya ask?"

Tooth slowly walked over to the swords, tracing her finger down the side of one. They were made of what looked something like silver, but each had an ornate golden handle, and each was covered with intricate carvings. One sword was slightly smaller than the other, almost like a mini version.

"I have the strangest feeling. . .like I've seen them before. . ." It was an odd inkling. Most of the time, as the Guardian of Memories, Tooth's own memory was as sharp as these swords. But now, for the life of her, she couldn't remember where she'd gotten this feeling!

Bunny shrugged. "Take 'em if ya want, Tooth. I've never had a use for 'em."

Tooth pulled the swords from the wall, and it was strange. Suddenly, it was almost as if she was glowing. Her eyes had a new spark to them.

"Toothie?" North looked at his friend. What was going on?

Tooth looked down at her hands, holding the swords. "It's. . .odd. I feel like these were made for me. Like they're an extension of me!"

But she quickly shook her head, doing her best to ignore the magical feeling holding these swords gave her. Jack was causing trouble. Or worse, Jack was in trouble. And they needed to go.

She gripped the swords tightly though, as Aster made them another tunnel to Burgess Lake, as they rose on Sandy's sand cloud over Burgess, and as they fruitlessly searched the area. Her gut told her these blades were important. And somewhere in the depths of her mind, she knew a memory agreed. If only she could remember it!

 **A/N And what do you know, I've been gone again for ages. Seriously, if anyone has tips for being consistent with your writing, I'm all ears. Thank you to everyone who's followed, favorited and reviewed!**

 **Review Responses (Sorry, I know these were ages ago.):**

 **KitoH: Yeah, I probably shouldn't have been quite so cruel to Jamie and Jack, but that's the fun of writing, right? Which I'll continue with in my next chapter. (Smirks wickedly) Thanks again for listening to and forgiving me. It means a lot, and I didn't deserve it.**

 **sparklehannah: Reading your review made me really happy! I'm so glad you've been enjoying this story! Sorry about the wait, procrastination is my archenemy.**

 **Yellowmiki98: Well sorry to leave you in the dark so long! Yeah I probably shouldn't have hurt Jamie, but I'll let Pitch take the blame! (Holds Boogeyman as shield). As for Pitch barginning with Jack, you'll have to wait and see!**

 **YourStranger15: Yeah I took way too long before updating this! Yeah, hurting Jamie was a dirty trick, but I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


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